A California federal court has blocked the termination of protections for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries from Venezuela while the ongoing NTPSA v. Noem litigation continues. The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Ed Chen provides a lifeline to over 350,000 Venezuelan TPS holders who were to lose work authorization on April 3rd and protection from deportations on April 7th. 

The NTPSA v. Noem litigation is led by the National TPS Alliance (NTPSA), a member-led network of TPS holders, families and allies, which is co-anchored by Central American Resource Center (CARECEN-LA) and The National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON). The case also includes individual Venezuelan and Haitian TPS holders and their legal team. The plaintiffs are represented by the National NDLON, the ACLU Foundations of Northern and Southern California, the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law, and the Haitian Bridge Alliance.  

 In Response Members of the Central American Resource Center Have Issued the Following Statements: 

“Amid the relentless persecution of immigrants, Judge Ed Chen's ruling is a critical decision, offering immediate relief to the Venezuelan TPS community and hope to the immigrant community overall.” Said Martha Arevalo, CARECEN-LA Executive Director.  “We applaud the NTPSA and the brave plaintiffs who have stood up against hate in this country. Alongside our partners and TPS community, we celebrate and welcome this court update and double our efforts to continue to call attention and immediate action to the irreparable harm that must be corrected while the case continues.” 

“At a time when immigration protections are being stripped away at rapid rates from our most vulnerable clients, we welcome the good news that Venezuelan TPS holders will not lose their work authorization this week and that they will remain protected while this litigation proceeds.” Said Esmeralda Meza, CARECEN-LA Directing Attorney “Although we must now rely on the rule of law to ensure these humanitarian protections are restored, we remain committed to advocate not only for TPS beneficiaries from Venezuela but for all TPS countries.” 

We continue to encourage TPS holders from Venezuela to obtain individual legal advice about their options for other forms of immigration relief. We recommend that Venezuelan TPS holders stay informed as we wait to hear from USCIS on how they will implement this order, including potentially issuing automatic extensions for work authorization documents. 

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